Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday appointed a commission to investigate wartime abductions and disappearances, reports the Associated Press . Rajapaksa's office said that the commission had the "authority to conduct inquiries and investigations necessary, and submit a report to the president within six months," with Rajapaksa reportedly stressing "the necessity to identify the persons responsible ... and to take legal action against those persons," The appointment of the three-member committee headed by retired Judge Maxwell Parakrama Parnagama comes ahead of a visit by UN High Commissioner for...
A Sri Lankan official today outlined that the Sri Lankan government and the United States are not at odds with each other. A statement from Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, read , “Now there is the perception that our two nations are at odds, with the introduction of a resolution before the UN human rights council urging Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of our own LLRC report. We could not agree more on the importance of these measures to ensure that terrorism never again returns.” “ Sri Lanka is moving in the right direction in the interest of our citizens,...
Several new African heads of missions to Sri Lanka pledged the support of their countries for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) taking place in Colombo this year, reported Sri Lankan news sources. The High Commissioner of Botswana, Lesego Ethel Motsumi, said , “Definitely Botswana will participate at this meeting as support for Si Lanka and the development of Sri Lanka to the state at which it is now – peaceful with democratic government.” Several other envoys pledged their country’s support for CHOGM, including the High Commissioners of Botswana, Swaziland, Rwanda,...
The Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao met Sri Lanka's recently appointed Army chief, Commander Daya Ratnayake on Tuesday, reports the DailyMirror.lk . Visiting the Army Headquarters, Jianghao was part of a four member delegation including Li Chen Glin, the newly appointed Defence Attaché.
In an operation named PACANGEL (Operation Pacific Angel - Sri Lanka), the US military's engineers from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps, has joined hands with its "Sri Lankan counterparts", to do a spot of DIY in Jaffna. In a blog post by Staff Sgt Blake Mize, on the US Air Force's website, outlining how they were 'giving back to the Sri Lankan community', listed 'humanitarian' tasks undertaken by the US and Sri Lanka militaries, to avert disaster included the following: - installing plumbing - installing commodes, urinals and sinks - repairing roofs - painting buildings inside and out -...
The EU has added to a number of international voices calling for an independent investigation into the violence at Weliweriya. The EU delegation in Colombo expressed concern over recent incidents including the Weliweriya shootings as well as the mob attack on a Colombo mosque. In a statement , the EU said that justice should be ensured "through speedy, impartial investigations" and added: “The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of worship are fundamental to democratic societies and should be protected by the state.”
The former Norwegian minister Eric Solheim has called on the international community to hold an investigation into the “tens of thousands” of deaths during the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. Solheim, who used to be heavily involved during the peace process between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government, said in an email to Xinhua, that the Tamil diaspora can play a key role in Sri Lanka. "Tens of thousands of humans perished in the last phase of the Sri Lankan war. Time has long passed when the international community will close its eyes and allow impunity for alleged war crimes. As...
Mahinda Rajapaksa assured residents of Rathupaswala, Weliweriya, that the factory accused of contaminating their ground water would be relocated. A Presidential spokesperson said that the regional authorities would prioritise ensuring people receive safe water. See the Island for full report.
The Sri Lankan police has imposed a curfew, for the second day running, to prevent religious clashes in the Grandpass area of Colombo, following anti-Muslim violence outside a mosque, sources reported. Leader of the Buddhist nationalist party, Jathia Hela Urumaya (JHU), Champika Ranawka, confirmed today that the Mosque that faced attacks would be moved to its old location. The announcement comes after a month long campaign by Buddhist extremist parties to relocate the mosque which was adjacent to a Buddhist temple.
The US embassy in Colombo has expressed concern at the attack on a mosque by a Buddhist mob on Saturday and called for the prosecution of the perpetrators. See full statement below: The United States Embassy is concerned by the attack on Grandpass Mosque on August 10. This incident is particularly troubling in light of a number of recent attacks against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. Targeting any place of worship should never be permitted and we urge calm from all sides. We call for prosecution of perpetrators in this attack and an end to religious-based violence. The right of all Sri...